DBKL adviser gives away Ponggal pots to cabbies

A TOTAL of 101 Indian taxi drivers received clay pots for the upcoming Ponggal festival courtesy of DBKL adviser Datuk Malarvili Gunaseelan, reported Makkal Osai.

The pots are to be used during the harvest festival today to boil sweet milk rice to give thanks for an abundant yield.

“While taxi drivers do not harvest crops, they too work hard to serve the public at all hours,” said Malarvili.

He also recalled the commitment by the Makkal Communications group of taxi drivers to assist pregnant women get to hospitals for free.

“Since the programme was launched earlier this month, nine expectant mothers have been transported to hospitals for free by the drivers.

“Three of them have delivered their babies, while six more are expected to give birth soon,” said Malarvili, adding that the services of the taxi drivers were appreciated.

> Police in Tamil Nadu, India have arrested four people over the sale of a baby for INR100,000 (RM6,520), reported Malaysia Nanban.

When a childless couple came home with a baby boy one day, their neighbours became suspicious. Initially accepting their explanation that the infant had been adopted, the neighbours became concerned after the baby would not stop crying.

After two days, the worried neighbours contacted the child protection services.

An officer who investigated the couple’s claim found that they had bought the baby from a younger couple. The couple who sold their child were living in poverty.

They were convinced by some brokers and the older couple’s relatives to give up the child and in return for money.

The child protection services officer then reported the matter to the district women’s police who promptly arrested the couples, the brokers, and the relatives who helped arrange the transaction.

> Found in translation is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.